Croatia says it is ready to help Slovakia and Hungary secure oil supplies after transit through Ukraine was halted following Russia’s attack. Bratislava and Budapest approached Zagreb less than three weeks after the disruption, asking to move Russian oil through the Adriatic pipeline, known as Adria. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said both countries have an EU sanctions exemption and argued that if pipeline transport fails, oil could also arrive by sea. He added that he expects Croatia, unlike Ukraine, not to risk the security of oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (SMER-SD) suggested political motives are behind the stalled deliveries. He considers the situation around oil today to be political blackmail directed at Hungary because of its uncompromising stance on Ukraine’s membership of the European Union.
Croatia says it is willing to allow transit, provided European law and U.S. sanctions are respected. Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said Zagreb will not allow fuel supplies in Central Europe to be endangered and is ready to help resolve the disruption in line with the rules. About one third of Slovakia’s oil already comes via the Adriatic route.
Energy analyst Radovan Potočár from Energie-portal says capacity can be increased, but only to a limit. If the pipeline were to cover long-term Slovak and Hungarian demand, it would operate at the edge of its capacity. As a partial alternative, small volumes could flow in reverse from the Czech Republic.
Slovakia’s Economy Ministry says the fuel market is not at risk. It expects transit through Ukraine to resume later this week and confirms the country has 90 days of reserves. The State Material Reserves Administration is ready to release emergency stocks with government approval. On Monday, the Oil Security Commission held an extraordinary meeting and recommended proceeding in line with legislation on emergency oil stocks and the management of a potential oil crisis.
Source: STVR
